House Commission IV Urges Forestry Ministry to Act Quickly on Forest Fires: Don't Wait for the Flames to Grow

Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) has asked the Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) to strengthen its handling of forest and land fires (karhutla). Commission IV urged that fire management should not only be carried out once the flames have already grown large.

This was conveyed by Deputy Chairman of Commission IV Alex Indra Lukman during a working meeting with the Ministry of Forestry at the DPR building in Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday (18/8/2026). Alex assessed that the current handling of forest and land fires still requires fundamental improvements in governance.

“(The handling) requires fundamental improvements in governance. In today’s meeting, Commission IV of the DPR RI requested a comprehensive explanation from the Ministry of Forestry regarding the handling of forest and land fires so that they do not spread,” said Alex.

Alex also asked the Ministry of Forestry to explain mitigation measures for forest and land fires in areas that have the potential to experience fires. This includes regions outside the provinces that are prioritised for handling.

“Mitigation of forest and land fires in areas with potential for fires outside the priority provinces, as well as law enforcement against company permit holders,” he said.

According to him, the government must prioritise prevention efforts. This is so that forest and land fire management is not only carried out when the flames have already grown large.

“The government must not be slower than the fire hotspots; prevention must be prioritised over merely responding when the flames have already grown large,” he said.